In fact, to the Celtics, their struggles continued last night.

Trae Young 33 points.

Danilo Gallinari dropped 38 off the bench.

The Celtics lost their third straight game.

They dipped to two games below 500.

Now, in a local radio interview with 98.5, the Sports hub today, Danny Ainge said quote, I wish I had answers for you.

I don't so fizz.

Do you have any answers on what is wrong with the Celtics at the moment?

Well, I think it's a few things happening.

One.

You just got to give the Eastern Conference credit.

It's a better conference now.

You've got the Hornets playing great basketball.

You got the Hawks.

You've got the Knicks.

All of these teams are getting better.

I'm sure it's another young team I'm leaving out right now, but those teams are better now.

You look at their roster, No Gordon Hayward, and now Marcus Smart is out, and now they're after playing a lot of small guys.

And so what you're saying is parts of the game where their defense isn't clicking for him or offensively.

They may not be drawing fouls or getting the shots that they necessarily want.

But I wouldn't be worried about these guys.

They've been through a lot.

The two all Stars are rising to the occasion, and you're gonna see better basketball as the citizen moves forward.

Man, I've never, ever thought I would agree with Danny.

Danny Ainge.

Right now, it's like you don't know what's going on with the Celtics.

They got two young stars to all stars, is playing a game.

You got Tristan Thompson's rebounding his butt off for them and you look around, he says.

What is the problem other than Marcus Smart being injured?

Who is the engine of that team?

You try to figure out, Why are they losing?

And I have to agree with his.

The East is a lot better.

It is so good now from all the young teens.

And these young teams are those types of teams that don't care about anything.

Getting buckets, playing basketball and having fun in the east only has three teams that are over 500 now, just three.

Yes, the bottom of the East might be better, but so help me out here.

Just three teams over 500.

I cannot buy that.

The East is such a jugar nut that the Celtics can't compete.

Doesn't this have to do Zack with their depth Also?

Well, if the East is so good, how about the East Owners vote for 1 to 16 playoff seeding, so we just get the top 16 teams in?

How about that juggernaut Eastern Conference?

Look the Celtics.

Gordon Hayward left.

Gordon Hayward left for nothing.

Mr.

Trade Exception has not played any games for the Celtics this year.

Trade exception is not a real human being.

Marcus Smart injured, and that has left the Celtics playing too many guys around Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, who are really either kind of standstill shooters or just grunt guy rebounder is like Tristan Thompson and Daniel Thais, and the result has been This offense is just stuck in mud.

You can tell that jail, and Brown and Jason Tatum are trying to figure out, Do we have to do everything I am?

I really going to make this kick out past?

There's just so much one on one play, and when you get into a stretch like that, I think they played something like 14 games in 24 days or something.

They've played a ton of games, are probably tired.

It just looks bad.

I think no team needs the All Star break more than Boston there better than this, but it will be interesting to see how good they can get when smart comes back and Kemba Walker is finally finding his game again.

But they certainly don't feel like a team right now.

Who's gonna punch into that Brooklyn Philly Milwaukee conversation yet?

And look, I do get what you guys are saying in the larger sense, If the teams at the bottom of the Eastern better, that just means that they can't beat up on those weaker teams anymore, So I get it.

I'm just have off night.

Can't have often.

I cannot have an off night in the same way now, Celtics governor and CEO with Gross back said he told NBA NBC Sports Boston quote.

We had hoped Kyrie would stay forever and lead us all the way.

That change touched off a lot of stuff because he left a bit of a domino effect is do you buy that?

Kyrie leaving had such a big domino effect on the Celtics that they're still feeling the repercussions of that a couple of seasons later.

Well, I mean, it always is a ripple effect that doesn't really stop.

But ultimately you're not feeling it no more.

You're you're on your moved on.

I mean, you got to all stars on your team for crying out loud and two former all stars.

So no, I'm not buying that per se.

But I guarantee you, if they were really banking on having I read, that definitely started a ripple effect that they didn't plan on.

But ultimately, come on, enough time has passed.

You can't keep talking about that stuff.

I'm not buying it.

Kyrie moved on.

He didn't play that much when he was there anyway, so it's not a ripple effect, so I'm not buying it at all.

No, You know what else to do?

So go ahead, Zak.

I'm sorry.

Go ahead.

Uh, I don't know why this is that controversial.

Like Kemba is not playing very well.

Kyra is playing out of his mind.

I think implied by this is the Celtics plan a way back.

When was Kyrie is gonna be the draw That helps us trade for Anthony Davis and gets Anthony Davis to stay.

And that plan all blew up in their faces.

So I I think there is some truth to this.

I also think it's kind of like Dove.

Why mention it?

Well, also, this team has made two of the last three Eastern Conference finals, so I'm not sure I would look at Kyrie leaving.

But I can't even keep track of days on the calendar year and a half ago, two years ago, the last year has been 10 years anyway.

I wouldn't necessarily point to that.

I think there's some other roster issues they have got to get going with.

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